In a new French romcom, ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS, she, Angelique, ISABELLE CARRE, is an agonizingly shy, closet chocolate-maker. She attends a group session to help her gain confidence. He, Jean-Rene, BENOIT POELVOORDE owns a chocolate factory that isn’t doing too well. He too is painfully inhibited, he listens to motivating tapes in his office. When Angelique gets up the courage to apply for a job with Jean-Rene’s company, he misunderstands and employs her as a salesperson. They’re attracted to one another, in an unstated, tentative and often grotesquely incompetent way.

When Angelique realizes the problems with Jean-Rene’s business she indulges in a major subterfuge to help him.

This is such a charming film, mainly because of the fragile winsomeness of Isabelle Carre, she’s just adorable, and because Benoit Poelvoorde is perfect for her. Even though he’s Belgian he seems to epitomize that loose-limbed sort of Frenchman, like Jacques Tati. Director Jean-Pierre Ameris, working with Philippe Blasband as co-writer, has added touches of whimsy to the film, like Angelique bursting into a song and dance routine, that somehow work delightfully. Apparently he himself suffers from social interaction panic, but he’s exerted a delicate touch to this tiny romance that makes it a very sweet experience.

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